Home Court Advantage

The regular season is in the books for your Walton Raiders. Before the tipoff of the region tournament on Tuesday, let’s take a look at how the Raiders played Friday night just ahead of their biggest games of the year.

In Friday’s game against Woodstock, Tomisin Adenupe played an all around game, driving to the basket and finishing at the rim but also protecting the basket and swatting away multiple Wolverine shots. Fellow forward Liz Williams finished the night with 17 points. Williams was able to keep the Wolverine defense honest in the first half by making multiple jump shots and then driving to the basket on fast breaks in the second half. One of girls’ assets in the 55-62 loss was converting steals and rebounds into fast break opportunities, making the Wolverines play at their pace. When the Raiders play in the tournament this upcoming week, this is one thing that they will want to do; when they have pushes game play to their pace this season, they have competed with any team in the region. Despite a loss the first time they played the Wolverines this season, the Raiders played their own game Friday and were always in the game, even leading after the 3rd quarter. The girls showed that they are ready to make a deep run in the region tournament. Their road begins Tuesday at 7:00 against the Etowah Eagles.

The boys defeated the Wolverines on Friday, 46-40. Dylan Pumpian led the boys with 14 points on the night. Dylan gave the Raiders a spark early in the second quarter, scoring on three straight possessions to reclaim the lead for the Raiders. David Sickles also provided veteran leadership on the floor, scoring 12 points but, more importantly, playing an excellent game in the defensive end, holding his matchup in check throughout the game. Cole Morris played an outstanding game on the defensive end, securing multiple rebounds over Woodstock opposition and swatting away their shots at the rim. With this win, the Raiders showed they have the ability to win low-scoring, defensive games. Many teams in the region thrive on this, and the boys look ready to compete with anyone in the tournament. They will host the Lassiter Trojans on Tuesday at 5:30 at Walton.

On Saturday, the all-region teams were announced. Tomisin Adenupe and Luka Avaliani were selected to the first team, DavidSickles was selected to the second team, and NeushaGreen was an honorable mention. Congratulations Raiders! Thank you for representing Walton well!

Walton is hosting the region tournament beginning Tuesday, so do your part to represent by showing up for your Raiders at 5:30 and 7:00 as the road to the state playoffs begins.